davison



G. C. DAVISON.

DEPTH CHARGE PROJECTOR.

APPLICAHON ElLED SEPT. L2. 191B.

1 ,323, 1 62. Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

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G. c. DAWSON.

DEPTH CHARGE PROJECTOR.

APPucAnonflLEo SEPI. l2. ma.

1,323, 1 62. Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

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GREGORY C. DAVISON, OF GROTON, CONNECTICUT.

YDnPflH-CHARGE PRQJECTOR'.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 1919'.I

Application led September 12, 1918. Serial No. 253,737.

To all lwhom t may concern:

a citizen of the United States, residing at Groton, in the county of vNew London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Depth- Charge Projectors; and I do hereby declare the .following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in depth charge projectors, and it is intended to provide a projector or gun having a single barrel, and adapted to project the depth charge through a short range in any desired direction in azimuth.

A similar construction is shown in the depth charge projector commonly known as the Y gun, illustrated and described Vin the application of Andrew J. Stone, Serial No. 192130, filed September 19, 1917, and entitled Improvements in depth charge projectors; but in that particular construction the gun is not intended to be trained in azimuth and the two projectiles were simultaneously fired from the two divergent barrels. rIhe purpose of the present invention is to provide a single barrel depth bomb projector which will throw only one projectile at a time, and yet which can be trained'in azimuth as desired. Y

My invention will-be more fully understood after reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which z- Figure l is a plan view of the projector and its mount. i

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, the deck of the vessel being shown in section;

and Y v Fig. 3 shows a central, vertical section through the axis of the bore and powder chamber, parts being shown in elevation, and the projectile being shown as supported in the gun.

i A represents the projector or gun, having its forward portion or barrel tapered upward, as at a, and its rear portion horizon-l tal, as at c', and provided with an enlarged expansion chamber a0 for the powder gases.-

g l cartridge case BV is mountedmThc powder chamber is closed by any suitable breech mechanism X; I have shown in the drawings a breech Vmechanism somewhat similar to that shown in the patent application of A. J. Stone aforesaid, and as no claim is made to any special form of mechanism in my present application, the'breech closure will not be further described. l l C representsthe bed plate on which the plece is mounted, which bed plate is secured to the deck of the vesselv in any convenient way, las by means of bolts D.

This bed plate is provided with a tapered socket C0 to yreceive the tapered lug A proj'ecting downward from the body of the projector. A washer A2 is attached to the base of the lug A by means of the bolt A3 andV serves to prevent the projector from being thrown out of its engagement with the bed platewhen the vessel carrying the projector rolls heavily. A

Mounted between the bed plate and the conical surface a3 of the projector I provide a series of rollers E, mounted in the ring F, which provide an anti-friction bearing vor traverse for the piece. ance the projector whenfloaded, I provide a heavy weight G to which is connected -a socket plate I-I to serve as'a bearing for the training bar I, which training bar may be Ainserted or removed when desired, by means of which the piece is trained in azimuth.

InVV order to lock the projector against swinging about its pivot, when not in use,

In order to bal- I provideV a bolt J having a tapered' hole to A receive the'tapered locking boltpK, which the depth charge, which is secured to the holder N, which holder is provided with a hollow stem or piston N', which projects into the inclined barrel Ya and serves as a piston against which the powder gases act under pressure when the cartridge has been fired. j j

To project quite a heavy bomb from the piece only a small charge of powder will suflice; and the powder gas expanding in the expansion chamber a0 will start the piston N outward without any excessive shock when the piece is red. This projector is not intended to fire the bomb through any great range, or with any large initial velocity, -nor with any great accuracy, for the danger zone from the explosionof one of these bombs is quite extensive, and moreover the .target israrely visible, so that neither great range nor great accuracy are desired.

.In such .cases where the target is visible, or greater Irange is desired, high eX-plosive shell Yfrom high lpower :guns 'should preferably be` resorted `Lto.

In ,operatingthe device, the locking bolt is removed, the Astem N ofthe holder N is inserted in .theJbarreL the .cartridge containing the powder charge is .inserted in the breech, `.and 'the piece is trained :by the gun pointer as accuratelyV as practicable in the direction in'whi'ch it is desired `to project the bomb.; and .the cartridge Vis Vthen ffired and the I'bomb with 'its holder expelled.

The operation of reLlo-ading ,andlring the gun may .be continued indefinitely.

it is vdesired to secur.e"7 the ypiece, it is swung in :azimuth until lthe locking :bol-t yKfcan ,be inserted in one of `.the .recesses 1c in the bed plate. The piece will then vbe heldagamst swinging about `its piyot.

Thetraining bar l -may be y.allowed to lremain place :ormay be removed when -the piece .is secured, .as preferred.

Sincelow'pressures only :are required, the main .body ofthe projector may be made of cast `metal, such as cast `iron `or steel, or bronze. Mier-cover, very little. machining ,is required, @so that the device may be yquickly and 4cheaply manufactured in lange quam tities; and when the emergency is'over the body portion of the projectile and the counter weight without material loss 4can be scrapped and used for other purposes.

It'will be obvious that various modifications might ybe-made in the herein described apparatus 4and in the constructiomcombina- .tion and arrangement .of parts which Vcould be used without departing from the ispirit of my invention; .and I do ,not intend to be limited to such details.exceptasparticularly pointed out in .the claims.

.Havingthus described my invention what I claim and desire to .secure by VLetters `Patent of the United States iszl. 'In .a .depth charge projector, the combi nation with a gun having an upwardly in Clined barrel and a horizontally disposed expansion chamber the base of and forming a continuation of the bore of said barrel, and a cartridge ,chamber of smaller diamete'r than said expansion chamber connected to said expansion chamber, the bottom' of the gunbody being provided with an annular shoulder, and a downwardly projecting lug concentric with said shoulder, of a bed plate secured to the gun platform beneath the gun and provided with a socket to receive said lug and with an annular shoulder registering with the annular shoulder of the gun body, with antifriction rollers interposed betw'een said shoulders, substantially as described.

2. In a depth charge projector, the combination with a gun hav-ing `an upwardly i1iclined barrel 1anda horizontally .disposed expansion chamber at the `base :of and forming a continuation .of .the bone of sai-.d barrel, and a cartridge chamber of ysmaller diameter @than .said` X-gpansion chamber connected to said .expansion chamber, :the bottom lof the ,gun :body being provided with an annular shoulder, and `downwardly projecting lug concentric with said shoulder., of abe-fl plate secured to the gun platform .beneath the gunand vprovided with 1.a socket toreceive lug and vwith an annular shoulderregistering `with fthe annular shoulder of .the gun body, with antifriction rollers interposed between saidshonlders, and a counterweight secured to lthe gun body 4near .its breech, substantially as described.

3. 1n -a depth charge projector, the combination with a, gun having an upwardly vinclined barrel and :a horizontally disposed expansion chamber ',atlthe hase of and forming vcontinuation of the bore of :said barrel, and aca-rtridge chamber of smaller .diameter thansaid :expansion chamber connected .to said expansion chamber., the bottom 4of the gun body :being .provided with an annular shoulder, and a downwardly projecting lug Vconcentric withsaid shoulder, of a bed plate secured to the zgun platform beneath the gun and provided with 'a .socket .to lreceive said lug and with anannular shoulder registering with the annular shoulder of the gun body, with :antifriction 4rollers.interposed be- .tween said shoulders, and a counterweight secured to the Vgun body near its breech, with a training bar, andmeans for attach ing said training bar to said 'counterweighh substantially as described.

4. In a depth charge projector, the combination with a :gun having an upwardly inclinedbarrel and a horizontally disposed .expansion chamber at the base of and form ing'acontinuation `ofthe bore lof said barrel, anda vcartridge chamber of smaller diameter than'said expansion chamber connected to saidexpansion chamber, the `bottomof the gun body being provided with anannular shoulder, and a downwardly projecting tapered lug concentric with said shoulder, `of Va socket bearing provided in the gun platform to receive said lug, and an annular 'track carried by the gun platform, and registering withthe annular shoulder of the gunbody, substantially as described.

5. 1n a depth charge projector, the combination with a gun having an upwardly nclined barrel and a horizontally disposed eX- paiison chamber at the base or' and forming a continuation of the bore of said barrel, and a cartridge chamber of smaller daineter than said expansion chamber connected to said expansion chamber, the bottoni of the gun body being provided with an annular shoulder, and a downwardly projecting tapered lug concentric with said shoulder, of 10 a socket bearing provided in the gun plat-g and a counterweiglit secured to the gun body 1.5

near its breech, substantially as described;4

GREGORY C. D'AVISON. 

